Page 11 of Taming Grumpy Dr. Beast

Chapter Four

Jaxon

Itipped my glass towardDean and Ashlyn. “Cheers.”

“Thanks, Jaxon.” Ashlyn smiled at me, her light blue eyes twinkling in excitement. She took a sip of her non-alcoholic passion fruit martini and leaned over to kiss Dean sitting next to her. “We can’t wait.”

“Neither can I!” Stella, Ashlyn’s stepsister squealed on the other side of her. Her enthusiasm made me cringe. “I’m going to spoil the baby rotten.”

“And just think, our kids will be close in age. If this one ever decides to get here,” Harper, Ashlyn’s friend added, then rubbed her large pregnant belly. This was her first child, and it surprised me to see her out after hearing her due date was in three days.

Lincoln, her husband, moved to stand behind her, and laid his hands on her shoulders to massage them. “Any day, babe.”

“This little girl has your stubbornness.” Harper groaned as Lincoln continued to knead her shoulders and upper back.

“Mine?” Lincoln laughed. “Wasn’t it you who refused to be with me for the longest time?” From the moment they met, Lincoln was besotted with Harper. It took her a little longer and this surprise pregnancy to realize she wanted to keep him in her life, too.

“Mmm, good thing I came to my senses.” Harper gave Lincoln a sassy smile over her shoulder, and he blushed like a schoolboy. It surprised me how often I forgot Lincoln was a famous actor. He still had fans stopping him for autographs here in town, but most of the time people were respectful of his privacy.

For a guy who didn’t believe in happily-ever-after, it constantly surrounded me.

“What’s got you glowing today?” Dean asked, once he’d taken a sip of his drink.

“I’m not glowing, asshole. Besides, tonight’s about you two.” I gestured toward Ashlyn and Dean.

He grinned. Dean was like a brother to me and knew how to push my buttons.

Ashlyn leaned her elbows on our table and cupped her chin in her hands. Her shoulder-length blond hair swung forward to settle around her face. “There’s no reason not to celebrate all the good things today. I’d love to hear your news.”

I nodded and gave her a closed-lipped smile. “I got the Chair of the Department to put in a good word to the committee. It’s only a matter of time before they change our contract and give me the rights to the translation to that book I found.”

“The one you got at our shop?” Harper asked with a playful scowl. “I really need to talk to Hope about not letting a book go until we’ve researched it better.”

I held back a chuckle. “That’s the one.”

She was right. I had taken advantage of them, to a degree. The book was in rough shape when I found it in a bin they bought at an estate sale. In its current state, its value was diminished, but once restored, that value would skyrocket.